Churchill Retirement Living has been granted planning permission to build 64 brand new retirement apartments in Kendal, creating 120 new jobs and bringing around £2.7 million of extra spending to the local high street. Regenerating the former Magistrates Court on Burneside Road, the new development will be a thriving new community in the heart of town, just a short walk from the local shops, amenities, leisure facilities and public transport links.
The new apartments will provide attractive, high quality, secure and self-contained accommodation in landscaped grounds. As with all Churchill Retirement Living developments, Owners will enjoy independent living and a sense of community, with the benefits of a communal Owners’ Lounge, a Guest Suite, a Lodge Manager, and a 24 hour emergency call alarm service.
Stuart Goodwill, Managing Director of Churchill Retirement Living’s in-house Planning consultancy, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who has helped towards achieving this very positive result. There is a compelling overall housing need in Kendal and the surrounding area, especially for older people, and our site is in a perfect location for a new development of this kind. Retirement housing is the most effective way of generating local economic growth, local jobs, and increasing high street spend as we look to recover from the pandemic. It will help improve the health and wellbeing of those who live there, and create a vibrant new community in the heart of Kendal.”
Delivery of new retirement apartments will meet existing and future need in the area and will provide these key benefits to Kendal and the surrounding area:
- Benefits the local economy by around £2.7 million (GVA) as its central location encourages residents to shop locally.
- Supports around 120 local jobs both during and after construction.
- Allows older people to downsize and free up under occupied houses in the local area for families – we estimate over 120 second hand homes will be released onto the market, helping over 40 first time buyers onto the ladder.
- Each person living in a retirement property typically experiences reduced health risks, contributing to fiscal savings to local NHS and social care services of c.£3,500 per person per year. The development in Kendal will therefore create total health and social care savings of over £300,000 per year.
- Provides older people with safety, security and companionship.
- Provides an attractive, bespoke building which complements the existing streetscape.
- Reduces the need to travel by car, due to proximity to local facilities.